Boards

I went to the Home Depot to get a large board to cut down and prime for painting on. Thought I would save some money. My quality canvas boards cost about 35 bucks for ten, if they are already primed and ready to paint on.

The man that was working said he could cut them down for me and it wouldn't cost too much. So I said sure. I needed 8 x 10 or 9 x 12 inches. As he was cutting, every board came out to a different size. not even close to either of the sizes I stated. I was getting frustrated thinking I would have to pay for it and not have one the correct size. When he was finished I informed him that I could not use those, they had to be 8 x 10, or 9 x 12 inches, or at least very close.

He informed me that he did not have a saw that could cut precisely and said " you should have told me they had to be a certain size, you said it could just be close." I informed him politely that I had told him the size I needed and he didn't even get close to either size!

He began to try again on a new board. Now I am calculating the 14 dollars for each large board twice! and they still had to be sanded and primed. So much for saving money!
He got two rows correct and one long piece that was too short to even make the 8 inches. I told him that was fine, could he just get as many 8 by 10 boards out of the first two rows . . . He did.

Then he told me that you have to take into account that the blade takes away part of the board, so out of a 24 inch side you can not get three equal rows of 8 inches.

I was a little ticked by now, and I said, "You work here, not me, you should have known that. I have never cut things with a saw!"

I ended up with 9 - 8 x 10 inch boards or close enough to be able to frame them. I was very upset at this point and asked him how much I owed him as he wrote up a ticket.

All it said was $2.01, so I thought it would be $2 for each board, and I was OK with that. The lady at the register charged me $2.o1 for all of the boards. I asked her if it wasn't for each board, and she said no, it is for all of them. Then I told her that could not be correct. She said that if I didn't get the board whole and it didn't turn out right, then I wouldn't be charged for it.

I felt like a heel.

Now I am priming and sanding my boards and more than happy to pay the $35.00 for ten ready to paint on canvas boards!

Say a prayer

Just need to take a minute to slow down. A friend of mine has an 18 year old son who was in a car accident. He and his 17 year old friend are in the trauma unit in Delray Beach. They are not doing well at all. I have gone down there a couple of times, and will probably go some more. Looks like weeks before they will get to go home. One has a fractured neck, and the other has crushed legs. Both boys have been undergoing serious surgeries.

I have never felt so useless and helpless. You think you will go and be supportive and pray with them and somehow make a difference. But really, I am nothing. I have no words to give that can do anything. I realized Sunday that even though I am powerless, God is not. Nothing I do or say will make any difference, but just being there, just asking God for his touch, well, it may. It is only by His mercy these boys are even alive. The car was completely totalled. My heart breaks for the mothers.

The older boy was driving, his friend has the broken neck. Yes, they had been drinking. Sadly, they will pay for it for the rest of their lives. I just hope they will use this tragedy for eternal good. I pray God will do miracles for them.

Contests

I have been trying to post some new art work, but the blogger isn't working right today, so I will wait until later.
I am excited about some art contests that are coming up. I rarely win anything, but that's OK, because every time I enter something if it doesn't place I still sell it! once I sold a piece for $800.00 after it was rejected! The $800.00 was more than I would have won, so I was very happy. You can see the painting of "OH Brother" at EBSQ Art.

New History

It has occurred to me that I am painting history. The drought of 2007, the worst in recorded history for this area, is being included in my plien air paintings. I am doing a series of Nubbin's Slough right now, and it really shows how low Lake Okeechobee is! Just a tittle, like "Nubbin's Shore" is odd, because Nubbin's Slough never had a shore before! It was just a pile of rocks and then the water came up on the rocks. Now people walk out for a quarter of a mile to get to the edge of the water.